John Allen Muhammed was a messed-up guy, and returning to America after learning to kill people obviously did not help his state of mind.

My son went to DC for a conference while that shooting was still going on. When he flew back to where we live he was interviewed by the local TV when he got off the plane. When asked if he was nervous, he said “No, but I know my mother was.”

It was good to know that the shooter was taken off the streets. Did killing him make America safer? How many shooters have there been since he was caught?

What about the people who got on the bus in Detroit in March and coughed all over the driver, giving him COVID and killing him? How many other people died in that manner because good people decided they didn’t want to protect others?

How many people did Trump just execute in his last few months, just because he is a sick man who likes to kill? Most of them had obvious mental problems, or even clear cognitive impairments. Some were of very questionable guilt.

America incarcerates more people per capita by far than any other democracy. Most of it is due to racial fears and discrimination. But there is also a mean streak in our culture that devalues the lives of those who are poor, different, or confused. That attitude only makes matters worse. It creates more conflicts, and more resentments.